Elastic fastener for cord, fabric, and the like



March 24, 1953 s. s. MASSEY ELASTIC FASTENER FOR CORD, FABRIC AND THE LIKE Filed April 22, 1950 //Vl E/V70R.

5 my; 5y 6? MASSEY MW Patented Mar. 24, 1953 ilhli'l'ED STATES PATENT @FEEQE ELASTIC FASTENER FOR CORD, FABRIC, AND THE LIKE Stanley S. Massey, Oakland, Calif.

Application April 22, 1950, Serial No. 157,476

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to devices for detachably uniting two looped pieces of flexible striplike material, such as cord, tape or fabric, which pieces may be structurally alike or different, i. e., they may have the same or different shapes, sizes and textures. The fastener is especially suited for supporting pads of absorbent material having gauze or other fabric attachment tabs near the human body from a loop which may be carried by a belt, but is not limited to this special application.

Pads of this type are frequently empaled on metal or stiff plastic fasteners which are secured by a tape or cord to a belt, resulting in discomfort due to the pressure of the rigid fastener with the body.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved fastener for securing two looped pieces of cord, rope, tape, band or textile or fabric which has been compacted to an elongate shape, such materials being herein generically desig nated as flexible, strip-like materials.

A further object is to provide an improved fastener for connecting absorbent pads to a belt for support near to the human body which fastener is of simple construction, comfortable, dependable, durable and easily operable.

In summary, according to the invention two pieces of flexible, strip-like material, either similar or dissimilar, are looped together to form interlocking loops and an elastic fastening tube, e. g., one made of rubber, is slid over the juncture of the loops, the internal perimeter of the tube, when relaxed, being slightly less than that required to surround the joined pieces at their juncture, thereby resulting in a slight bulge at an intermediate part of the tube or toward one end thereof. At least one of the connected pieces has a free end and a loaded part; the other piece may likewise have one free and one loaded part or the loop thereof may be permanently formed, thereby applying a load to both parts of the piece extending back from the loop. Such a connector is effective to retain the pieces of material secured to each other and will not slip when any reasonable amount of tension is applied to the loaded part or parts thereof although the unloaded end of the piece is free.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and illustrating certain specific embodiments thereof by way of example, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a fastener as applied to a belt for supporting an absorbent P Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the fastener;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional View, partly in elevation, showing the fastener applied to joining two like pieces of woven tape; and

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional View of a modified construction applied to connecting two ropes.

Referring to Figs. 1 and the fastener is shown to be supported from a belt I!) which may encircle a part of the human body. The fastener comprises a continuous, flat, woven tape H having its ends Ho and i lb sewed to the belt and forming a downward loop l2 intermediate the ends of the tape. The two parts of the tape which extend up from the end of the loop are preferably stitched together at 3 at the upper end of the loop. A short piece of string M is optionally tied to the end of the loop and carries at the free end thereof a tension or retaining tab l5, such as a small piece of thin leather. When intended as a retaining tab the tab 15 is larger than the bore of the fastening tube it, to be described, so as not to pass through said bore.

A short elastic rubber fastening tube Iii is freely slidable upon the tape H, the interior perimeter of the tube being slightly larger than that required to contain the looped part of the tape when the elastic tube is relaxed, whereby the tube may be slid freely along the looped tape. Loss of the tube from the tape when the device is not in service is prevented by the tab I5 when made larger than the tube bore as shown.

The absorbent pad I! is shown only in part in the drawing, and has a textile supporting tab it, such tab being commonly made of gauze and forming an extension of the covering of the pad. To connect the pad to the tape the fastening tube It is first slid upwardly along the tape away from the free end of the loop 12 to cause the latter to project beyond the lower end of the tube. The fabric or textile tab I8 is then compacted by hand to form a strip-like piece and pulled through the projecting loop l'2 to the extent required to bring the absorbent pad to the desired position; the free end 19 of the tab [8 is then turned downward toward the pad, thereby forming a loop in the tab and bringing the free end thereof alongside of the loaded part 26, which is the part of the tab nearest to the pad H. The tube It is then slid downwardly toward the pad until the juncture 2| of the two interlocking loops is within the tube.

The interior perimeter of the fastening tube I6 is slightly less than that required to encircle this juncture 2|, which juncture is somewhat thicker than the looped materials on either side of it. This results in a slight distention or bul ing of the elastic tube opposite to the juncture as clearly shown in the drawings. This distention of the tube binds the looped tab l8 firmly to the looped tape I l. The tab I8 is thereby effectively secured to the tape ll, and any reasonable tension applied to the loaded part 29 of the tab will not cause the free end !9 to slip through the loop I2.

To release the tab I8 from the tape the tube I6 is slid upwardly along the tape to expose the juncture 2| of the two loops, permitting the free end IE! to be slid out of the loop l2. It is convenient in this operation to grasp the tension tab [5 with one hand and the tube It with the other, particularly when the absorbent pad is moist.

The fastener may be worn immediately next to the body without discomfort, or it may be ap plied outside of an article of clothing. It will be understood that the tape ll may be made of any suitable dimensions; thus, it may be made relatively narrow, e. g., three-sixteenths of an inch in width, permitting the use of a small, soft, thin-walled rubber tube, such as one having an external diameter of about five-sixteenths of an inch, whereby the wearing of it will be in- H conspicuous.

The invention is not limited to connecting fabrics or textiles to tape, but may be used to connect ropes, cords and other materials together. These materials may be of similar shape. Thus, as shown in Fig. 3, two pieces of firmly woven, flexible tape of like size are shown at 22 and 23, looped one over the other to form interlocking loops. The tubular elastic fastener 24 is slid over the loop at the end of one of the tapes prior 4 While the elastic fastening tube is preferably cylindrical, i. e., of uniform cross section, and of relatively soft, thin rubber, as shown in Figs. 1-3, the invention is not limited to such features and an elastic fastener having a somewhat tapered or frusto-conical bore may be used, provided that at least a part of the tube has an internal perimeter small enough to be slightly less than the external perimeter of the juncture of the two strip-like materials. Such a bore is particularly useful when the tube is made of heavier elastic material, such as fabric-reinforced rubber of the type used for garden hose, since the larger end of the bore facilitates entry of the juncture into the tube. Such a construction is illustrated in Fig. 4, wherein two ropes 25 and 26 are shown jecting loop and laid back along the standing part of the rope 26 and the tube is thereafter slid toward the rope 26 until the juncture of the two ropes is well inside of the tube, sufficiently to distend the tube somewhat, as shown, thereby frictionally securing the two ropes together.

It is evident that the invention is not restricted to the use of fastening tubes which have smooth inner walls of circular cross section, and that other shapes may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Also, the tab 15 is optional and is omitted, for example, in the embodiments according to Figs. 3 and 4.

I claim as my invention:

1. A connection comprising a pair of flexible straps forming a supporting loop; a supported piece of flexible, strip-like material having a free end laced through said supporting loop and thence turned back along itself to form an interlocking loop; and a fastening tube of elastic material surrounding the juncture of said loops and in circumferential contact with the second loop, said fastening tube being slidable along said straps away from the said juncture and having at said juncture an internal perimeter which is less than the external perimeter of said juncture when the tube is relaxed, whereby said tube is distended elastically at said juncture for exerting a frictional force preventing said free end of the supported piece from slipping through the supporting loop.

2. The connection according to claim 1 wherein the said fastening tube is internally cylindrical and has a substantially circular internal cross section.

3. The connection according to claim 1 wherein said fastening tube has the internal bore thereof tapered.

4. A connection between pieces of flexible, striplike material comprising a pair of interlocking loops formed in said pieces; a fastening tube of elastic material surrounding the juncture of said pieces and in circumferential contact therewith, said tube having at said juncture an internal perimeter which is less than the external perimeter of said juncture when the tube is relaxed, whereby said tube is distended elastically at said juncture to exert a frictional force; and a retaining tab outside said fastening tube connected to one of said pieces by a flexible member extending into said tube, whereby the pieces may be disconnected by pulling on said tab and on said tube.

5. A fastener for detachably connecting compacted fabric to a narrow tape comprising a narrow tape and a loop formed in said tape; an elastic fastening tube slidably mounted about said loop, said tube having an internal perimeter sufficient to be freely slidable along said tape, said fastening tube being adapted to he slid along said tape in one direction to cause the end of the loop to project beyond the end of the tube for receiving an end of a piece of compacted fabric and distended elastically over a juncture of said loop and said fabric formed by lacing said end through the loop and turning said end back to form an interlocking loop; a retaining tab greater than the bore of said fastening tube when the tube is relaxed; and a flexible connection between said tab and the loop, whereby the tube is prevented from becoming detached from the free end of the tape and the fastening tube can be slid along the tape away from the fabric to detach the latter by pulling on the tab 5 with one hand and the fastening tube with the other.

6. A fastener for detachably connecting compacted fabric to a support such as a belt comprising: a pair of pendant support straps joined together to form a permanent loop; an elastic fastening tube surrounding said loop havin an internal perimeter great enough to be freely slidable upwards over said straps to cause the end of the loop to project beyond the lower end of the tube and to be slid downwardly and distended elastically over a juncture of said 100p and. said fabric formed by compacting the fabric, lacing an end thereof through said loop and folding it back along itself to form an interlocking loop, whereby said fastening tube is adapted to secure the looped fabric to the permanent loop by frictional contact; and means securing the fastening tube against being detached from the straps.

STANLEY S. MASSEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

